ceeded him as Archdeacon, and to the rectory of great Salkeld: annexed.

We are now arrived at the publication of his Moral Philofophy, concerning which the following anecdotes will not be read without interest.

"When the manufcript was ready for the prefs, it was offer. ed to Mr. Faulder of Bond. ftreet, when dining at Rofe Caftle, for one hundred guineas; but he declined the risk of publishing it on his own account. After the fuccefs of the work was in fome measure afcertained, Mr. Paley would again have fold it to him for three hundred pounds, but he refufed to give more than two hundred and fifty. Whilft this treaty was pending, a bookseller from Carlisle, happening to call on an eminent publifher in Paternofter-row, was commiffioned by him to offer Mr. Paley one thousand pounds for a copy-right of his work. The bookfeller, on his return to Carlisle, duly executed the commiffion, which was communicated without delay to the Bishop of Clonfert; who, being at that time at London, had undertaken the management of the affair. 'Never did I fuffer fo much anxious fear,' faid Mr. Paley, in relating the circumftance, as on this occafion, left my friend fhould have concluded the bargain with Mr. Faulder, before my letter could reach him.' Luckily he had not, but, on receiving the letter, went immediately into Bond-ftreet, and made this new demand. Mr. Faulder, though in no small degree furprized and aftonished at the advance, agreed for the fum required before the Bifhop left the houfe. Little did I think, faid Mr. Paley, in allufion to this affair, that I should ever make a thousand pounds by any book of mine:" a strong proof of unaffuming merit; but after the offer above-mentioned, he was authorized to have asked a ftill larger fum.". P. 124.

Of a work fo well known, and to which our attention has been fo often called, it is unneceffary to add more in this place, then the fingular fact that it paffed through fifteen editions during the author's life, and, confidering its fubject, may be ranked among the moft ftriking examples of literary popularity. Some part, however, of its extenfive fale, muft neceffarily be attributed to the circumftance of its being ufed at the univerfity of Cambridge as a standard book in examinations. Mr. Meadley enters into a long analysis of this work, in which he perplexes himself and his readers with objections to Mr. Paley's opinion on Subfcription, contrafted with what he advanced in the anonymous pamphlet before mentioned. A mind more friendly towards the only bulwark our church has, might have argued with more perfpicuity, and have given the author fome credit for preferring the more mature fentiments of his reflecting years, to thofe

which he imbibed in a period when he was evidently in fluenced by party-zeal and tranfient popularity.

On the death of Dr. Burn, the well-known author of the Juftice of Peace, &c., in November 1785, Mr. Paley was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Carlige. At Dalton, in addition to his ordinary duties, he gave a course of lectures on the New Teftament, on the Sunday afternoons. There is no part of Mr. Paley's character which we contemplate with more pleasure than his active and zealous difcharge of his profeffional duties, and his even enlarging them, as in this inftance, when he thought it would be for the benefit of his flock. While officiating as examining chaplain to the late Bishop of Carlifle, he caufed a new edition to be publifhed of Collyer's Sacred Interpreter, a work which he recommended to can-i didates for deacon's orders, and in 1788, he joined to his other meritorious labours, an effort in favour of the abolition of the Slave Trade, and correfponded with Mr. Clark fon and the Committee whose endeavours have fince been crowned with fuccefs.

In the year 1789, an incident occurred which, if correctly related, proves that Paley's diflike of Mr. Pitt was unchanged. He was offered the mafterfhip of Jefus College, and affigned among other reafons for declining it, "a conviction that he fhould fcarcely be able to remain a fingle month in office, without quarrelling with Mr. Pitt."

In 1790, Mr. Paley published his Hora Pauline, which juftly and greatly increafed his reputation, although it was lefs read than his Moral Philofophy. Soon after he compiled a fmall work entitled, "The Young Chriflian inftructed in Reading, and the Principles of Religion." This having brought upon him a charge of plagiarism, he defended him felf in a good humoured letter in the Gentleman's Magazine. It may here be noticed that Mr. Paley was a man of genuine humour, and of admirable converfation-talents. This we can affert from unquestionable information, but the specimens which his biographer has interfperfed in this work appear to us very il calculated to imprefs his readers with any high idea of his wit. Ex. gr.

"Being in a party of young men, who were fomewhat pom poufly difcuffing the fummum bonum of human life, he heard their arguments with patience, and then, with half a fmile, and in a dry farcaftic tone, replied, I differ from all; you the true fummum bonum of human life confifts in reading Triftram Shandy: in blowing with a pair of bellows into your fhoes in hot weather, and in roafting potatoes in the afhes under the grate in cold.'

"At Bishop Wearmouth, when the run of luck, was against

him, and he was carefully making up the cards, one of the party exclaimed, 'why, you fhuffle a great deal, Dr. Paley.' Aye, Sir,' replied he, when a man grows poor, it makes him fhuffle.'

In May 1792, Mr. Paley was inftituted to the vicarage of Addingham, near Great Salkeld, on the prefentation of the Dean and Chapter of Cariifle. During the political ferment excited by the French revolution, he published "Reasons for Contentment, addreffed to the Labouring Claffes," and the Chapter on the British Conftitution in his Moral Philofophy, as a detached effav. "For this," fays his biographer, "he has been accused of abandoning his former fentiments, and giving countenance to the delufions of the day," and he endea vours to prove that his conduct was perfectly confiftent, but as we have no inclination to doubt its confiftency, we shall leave Mr. Meadley's apology to thofe who may want it. We have never ranked Contentment and an attachment to the British Conflitution, among the " delufions of any day."

In 1793, Mr. Paley vacated Dalfton, on being collated by the Bishop of Carlile (Dr. Vernon,) to the vicarage of

Stanwix.

"Being afterwards afked, by a clerical friend, why he quitted Dalton, he anfwered with a franknefs peculiar to him, for he knew no deceit,- Why, Sir, I had two or three reafons for taking Stanwix in exchange: firft, it faved me double houfe-keeping, as Stanwix was within a twenty minute's walk of my houfe in Car. life: fecondly, it was fifty pounds a year more in value and thirdly, I began to find my stock of fermons coming over again too faft.'

In 1794, he publifhed his "View of the Evidences of Chriftianity," 3 vols. 12mo, which, Mr. Meadley fays, was foon after republished in 2 vols. 8vo. He might have added, that the first edition, as we well remember, difappeared on the day of publication, and the number was totally inadequate to the demand. Our opinion of this excellent work may be feen in Brit. Crit. Vol. iv. p. 487, &c.

Mr. Meadley's notice of the Evidences, &c. is followed by a feries of invidious reflections on Mr. Pitt, and on the bench of bishops for not beftowing more promotion on Mr. Paley, but he is of opinion that they were now obliged to take fome notice of him. In this manner he thinks proper to mention the preferment which the late. Bishop of London bestowed upon him in 1794, viz. the prebend of Pancras in St. Paul's, and the fubdeanery of Lincoln, conferred by the prefent

bifhop of that diocefe. Much might be faid on this fubject, were we difpofed to exchange our opinion of Mr. Paley for that given by his biographer. Judging from his writings we hould be inclined, with Mr. Meadley, to regret that he had not higher preferment, but contemplating his character as by him difplayed, we must rather wonder that he had fo much.

After being inftalled in the latter preferment he went to Cambridge to take his degree of D.D. and before leaving it, was offered the valuable rectory of Bishop Wearmouth by the Bishop of Durham, on accepting which, he refigned the prebend of Carlifle, and the living of Stanwix.

"During his ftay in London, he one day cafually met with a gentleman, who had been his pupil at Chrift's college; and who, in congratulating him on his recent good fortune, expreffed a hope of yet farther promotion. Why, fir,' replied he, I have be gun to roll, and there is no knowing where I may roll to at last,' To Lambeth, probably,' rejoined the other. 'No, no,' faid he, ⚫ don't expect that: depend upon it, they will never make me a bishop.'"

P. 180.

Mr. now Dr. Paley proceeded to Bishop Wearmouth, and took poffeffion, granting a leafe of the tythes to fome of the principal landholders of the parifh for the annual fum of 7001. His biographer approves of this, with fome common. place reflections on the evil of tythes, and adds the following very delicate anecdote.

"Dr. Paley found himself perfectly at eafe by this arrangement, and when he heard of a bad crop, used to fay, Aye, aye, now I am well off; my tythes are fafe, and I have nothing to do with them, or to think about them!'

About the year 1802, Dr. P.'s health was confiderably im paired by a nephritic complaint, yet he published foon after his Natural Theology, a work on which we foon gave our very favourable opinion. It is in truth a work of peculiar beauty and excellence from the judicious difpofition of materials, the various knowledge and the happy illuftrations, with which abounds.

His death happened on May 25, 1805, but we have here little more than the bare mention of it. We have, however, fome of Dr. P.'s fentiments which we read with aftonishment, particularly that he praised the bombaftic romance of Mr. Godwin, called a Life of Chaucer, and spoke of Dr. Johnson's Lives of the Poets, as the performance of a man "whose

* Brit. Crit. vol. xxii, p. 221.

judgment

judgment and tafte were faft decaying." He even cenfured Lord Teignmouth for not making a broader difplay of Sir William Jones's republicanism; nay, fome pages before, we are told of his being an advocate for Catholic emancipation, and for the admiffion of Horne Tooke into the House of Commons !

The character of Dr. Paley, with which his biographer concludes his life, is in many essential points juft, particularly his private character, which was truly amiable; but there is throughout, fuch a perpetual ftruggle to force him into the ranks of republicanifm and difaffection, that were we to examine it in detail, we should be compelled to speak with les tenderness than we could wish, of a man whofe fame, as a writer, is unquestionably founded on the bafis of learning, religion, and public ufefulness. Had his life fallen into the hands of one able to appreciate thefe, without a perpetual recurrence to the fentiments and prejudices of a party, Dr. Paley would have certainly appeared in a more favourable light.

He was twice married; first, in 1776, to Mifs Jane Hewit, a lady of Carlisle who died in 1791, leaving iffue four fons. and four daughters; and fecondly, in 1795 to Mifs Dobinson of Carlifle, by whom he had no children. It is fingular that both his parents furvived to witnefs his great fuccefs in life. His mother lived to the year 1796, and his father to 1799, the former being 83, and the latter 88 years old.

Prefixed to this work, is a well-engraven head of Dr. Paley from a painting by Sir William Beechey, and at the conclufion is an Appendix of Extracts from Dr. P.'s lectures and other documents, not inferted in any of his preceding volumes.

ART. II. An Historical Review of the Commercial, Political, and Moral State of Hindooftan, &c.

[Concluded from p. 105.]

THE refpectable author of the work under review having, in the preceding pages, confidered Hindoftan in a commercial and political point of view, now proceeds to take a moral and religious furvey of the interefting people who are the fubject of his inveftigation. Mr. Chatfield prefaces this large portion of his volume, by taking a fummary retrofpect of the greater part of thofe multiplied fuperftitions which have, at different periods, prevailed in Afia, the worShip of fire and the starry hoft, of good and evil dæmons, and